In recent years, Russia has seen its cement industry develop rapidly as new production lines are brought into service and old plants converted to dry-process technology. One of the first such greenfield projects was BaselCement’s Serebryansky Cement Plant which has not only had to construct roads, railways and even the power lines from scratch, but also adapt to local climate conditions and seasonal fluctuations in demand.

Russia’s agriculture industry faces a number of challenges when it comes to expanding production but many analysts would argue that given its relative resources and wealth, the country has underperformed in this sector. However, with recent developments such as the ban on imports of agri-food products from Western markets and the resultant increase in domestic food prices, as well as the rapid devaluation of the rouble, there is apparently fresh impetus to improve Russia’s self-sufficiency in farm produce and it has fallen upon domestic agribusinesses to boost output and meet demand. In an interview with Agra Europe, Andrey Oleynik, the Managing Director of Agribusiness for Russia’s largest diversified industrial group Basic Element, discusses the work his company is doing in the fields of beef, dairy and seed production, and how government funding and legislation may need to be changed in order to ensure the best results for future prosperity.

Oleg Deripaska, who became a billionaire selling Russia’s natural resources, plans to use Siberia’s abundant hydropower to create a string of data centers that could transform the region into a technology powerhouse.

China-Russia cooperation is stepping up. That includes ties between the world’s largest aluminium producer, Rusal, and China’s aluminium giant Chalco. Cheng Lei caught up with Oleg Deripaska and started by asking him about what the closer bond means for business.